Cop pleads not guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting of a black man

• A police officer pleads not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder after being detained in connection with the fatal shooting of a black man.
• After an encounter at a traffic check in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Christopher Schurr, 31, is accused of shooting and killing Patrick Lyoya.
• Schurr should be fired, according to Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom.

A police officer pleads not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder after being detained in connection with the fatal shooting of a black man during a traffic stop.

After an encounter at a traffic check in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Christopher Schurr, 31, is accused of shooting and killing Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole in Michigan.

Schurr, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, appeared for his arraignment via video link from the county jail on Friday.

‘Until today, we were convinced there was no justice in America,’ Lyoya’s father Peter told reporters. ‘All I want for my son is final justice.’

Lyoya was killed by Schurr with a gunshot to the back of the head, according to an autopsy.

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An attorney for Lyoya’s family, Ben Crump, described the encounter as “an execution.” Crump has represented the families of many high-profile police shootings, including George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.

On Monday, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said, “The death was not justified or excused, for example, by self-defense.”

Lyoya can be seen standing outside his car, asking, “What did I do?” in a video released in April. After Schurr continually demanded his driver’s license, he began to flee. Lyoya’s driver’s license has been revoked.

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Schurr finally caught up to Lyoya and wrestled him to the ground. Lyoya appeared to reach for Schurr’s Taser at one point.

Schurr was wearing a body camera at the time, but it became dislodged before it could record the shooting. Bystanders captured much of the incident on their phones.

Schurr should be fired, according to Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom. Since the shooting, Schurr has been on leave.